Thrice as nice for La Salle, state champs again

COLUMBUS – It wasn’t pretty, but La Salle gritted out a tough victory and made Ohio prep football history becoming the first Division II team to ever win three consecutive state titles. For just the second time in 15 playoff games the Lancers were legitimately challenged.

2016 Ohio Division II state champions – La Salle Lancers (photo by Justin Sheldon.TriStateFootball.com)

The game could not have started any worse for La Salle. The Lancers looked lethargic and played uninspired in what clearly was their most disappointing half of football. Massillon Perry took a 7-0 lead at intermission. The Panthers looked like the defending state champions.

La Salle quarterback Griffin Merritt had a nightmarish first half going 1-of-8 with no yards passing and two interceptions. The two picks by Massillon Perry gave them five in their last six quarters of football. Merritt and Massillon Perry quarterback Max Baker were a combined 2-of-11 for three yards and three interceptions in the half.

Throw in an unsportsmanlike and personal foul penalties that pushed La Salle’s deepest penetration to the Panthers’ 16-yard line all the way back to the Lancers’ 48-yard line. Nothing went according to plan for La Salle in the first 24 minutes.

The second half opened with La Salle holding the Panthers on their initial drive. Lancers’ head coach Jim Hilvert decided to make a change under center as senior Tre’Sean Smith came in to run the offense. It became the biggest move of this chess match.

La SalleQB/DB Tre’Sean Smith (photo by Justin Sheldon/TriStateFootball.com)

The decision paid immediate dividends as Smith gained 64 yards on seven carries, including a three-yard run that found the end zone. A Paul Young extra point and the game was tied at 7-7 with 2:53 left in the third stanza.

Smith was at again, only this time it was late in the game. He scored his second touchdown with 3:46 left in the contest. It proved to be the game winner. The senior would finish the night with a career-high 121 yards rushing on 14 attempts, all after halftime. He didn’t even throw a pass. In fact, La Salle ended the game with zero passing yards.

The final combined stats out of the quarterbacks in this game was 21 total passing yards and five interceptions. The final unofficial stats had each team also committing four turnovers.

A late interception by Lancers’ defensive back Tyler Richardson set the team up at the Massillon Perry 12-yard line. La Salle failed to score. The Panthers gave themselves a fighting chance, but they exhausted all of their timeouts on the while stopping the drive.

Massillon Perry DB Tevion Cleveland (photo by Justin Sheldon/TriStateFootball.com)

When asked why he didn’t kick a field goal to put the game out of reach because the Panthers were out of time outs Hilvert said, “I was afraid they were going to block the kick. We had a lot of bad snaps tonight.”

He was right on fourth down Merritt came back in the game and a bad snap forced him to hurry another pass that was intercepted.

Massillon Perry had one last shot, but with no way to stop the clock and under a minute left. The Panthers could not muster anything as time expired. La Salle was state champions once again.

LA SALLE 0-0-7-7-14
MASSILLON PERRY 7-0-0-0-7

P: Bowman 17 interception return (Brown kick)
L: T. Smith 3 run (Young kick)
L: T. Smith 12 run (Young kick)

Records: La Salle (13-2); Massillon Perry (12-3)

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